Gophers junior forward Davonte Fitzgerald was eligible to play after sitting out a transfer year, but he'll miss the 2016-17 season after suffering major injuries to his left knee in practice, the team announced Friday. On Thursday afternoon, Fitzgerald tore his left ACL and suffered medial and lateral meniscus tears in his left knee in a non-contact situation, according to the Gophers. "We are disappointed in the recent injury news as it pertains to Davonte," Gophers coach Richard Pitino said in a statement. "He had worked extremely hard to get himself ready for this season. We are confident he will be back and ready to go next season." The 6-foot-8, 220-pound Fitzgerald played his first two seasons at Texas A&M, while also missing part of his freshman season with a torn right ACL injury. He has two years of eligibility remaining. Pitino tweeted a message about Fitzgerald supporting his teammates in practice Thursday after he hurt his knee. He also sent a text message to his coach after getting the MRI results to tell him him he promised to work harder to return stronger next year.